sgfafandomcom-20200214-history
Matt Pickering
| cityofbirth = Helena Point | countryofbirth = St. Gregory | dateofdeath = | cityofdeath = | countryofdeath = | height = | position = Forward | currentclub = Cape Wells Wanderers | clubnumber = 9 | youthyears = 2005-2007 | youthclubs = SGFASOE | years = 2014-2017 2017 2017-2018 2018-2019 2019- | clubs = White Bay Rovers → Bonneville Juniors (loan) Eventide Union Town Cape Wells Wanderers | caps(goals) = | nationalyears = 2011-2013 | nationalteam = St. Gregory (U20) | nationalcaps(goals) = | manageryears = | managerclubs = }}Matthew Charlton "Matt" Pickering (born March 20, 1993) is a Gregorian professional footballer of English descent who plays as a striker for Cape Wells Wanderers in League A. He previously attended the SGFA School of Excellence and spent part of his early career in England in youth and reserve systems. Early life Pickering was born in Helena Point, the son of first-generation English parents who had moved to St. Gregory in the early 1980s. He holds dual nationality with the United Kingdom and the United States as his parents both opted to retain British citizenship when the territory became part of the U.S. in 1984. His parents were both from Greater Manchester and were keen Manchester United supporters, and gave their son the middle name Charlton, after Sir Bobby Charlton. Club career Bonneville Juniors Pickering's long-awaited move came on January 22, 2017, when he joined then-League A club Bonneville Juniors on loan until the end of the 2016-17 season, with an option to transfer permanently at season's end. His first appearance for Juniors came on January 29 in a cross-town match against Bonneville United, which Juniors lost 2-0. He appeared off the bench in each of Juniors' next two matches, against Swifton Athletic and FC Chapman, but failed to score. Pickering finally registered his first goal for Juniors on February 25; the only goal in a 1-0 away win over Manorham. He then scored in back-to-back games against Little Rouge and Independence, both resulting in 1-1 draws, to finish with three goals in a shortened League A season. Eventide On June 27, 2017, Rovers and Juniors mutually agreed on an early termination of Pickering's loan, allowing him to transfer to League B side Eventide for a fee of US$100,000. Pickering signed a two-year contract with the Tides that same day and made his debut for the club on September 23, 2017, in an opening day defeat at Petit-Rouge. On September 30, in his first home game for Eventide, he scored his first goal for the club to help them come from behind to beat Winston Beach. Although Pickering suffered an ankle injury early in the season against former club Bonneville Juniors, he missed just a month of football, providing an assist on his return in a losing effort at Otway Town. The following week, he returned to the starting lineup and scored the decisive goal in a 1-0 win over Old Boys on December 2, then netting a penalty against Merrickton on Boxing Day. In all, Pickering finished with 11 goals in 2017-18, although his efforts could not get Eventide to a playoff position by season's end. Union Town Pickering was approached by multiple League A clubs after his successful 2017-18 season, and he was connected with moves to New Castle and Helena Point Rangers before signing with Union Town on July 19, 2018, signing a two-year contract. He will wear the number 7 shirt, the same number he wore at Eventide. Cape Wells Wanderers Following Union Town's relegation at the end of 2018-19, Pickering became the subject of several transfer rumors. On August 6, 2019, he signed a three-year deal with Cape Wells Wanderers, joining the club for an undisclosed fee. Category:Player pages Category:Cape Wells Wanderers F.C. players Category:Union Town F.C. players Category:Eventide F.C. players Category:Bonneville Juniors F.C. players Category:White Bay Rovers F.C. players Category:St. Gregory national youth team players Category:SGFA School of Excellence alumni Category:People from Helena Point